The community room at the Vestavia Hills Library in the Forest will reopen this week after being closed for nearly a year.

The community room, which should reopen Thurs­day, had been closed since Oct. 15 as city and library of­ficials and parties involved in building the new library determined the source of leaks that left pinkish marks on walls.

"We had some leaks in the exterior wall system that we had to address," said Steve Manown, vice president-di­vision manager at Brasfield & Gorrie, which served as construction manager for the new library.

"What we've gone back with is an improved design from what was originally there," he said. "It has a closed cell-foam insulation in the wall . . . and no water can ever get through that system."

Manown said the insula­tion was tested repeatedly to make sure it was installed properly and would hold up through rainstorms.

He noted no leaks oc­curred during recent rains.

Contractors speculate that strong winds and rain from Tropical Storm Lee in early September 2011 may have contributed to the problem of leaks.

"It took a while, but we believe the fix that they came up with is the fix weneeded," Mayor Alberto "Butch" Zaragoza said.

It cost about $80,000 to fix the room, which included removing portions of the exterior and interior walls, but the repairs did not cost the city, the mayor said.

The reopening of the community room makes available one of the library's more popular spaces to rent with groups booking reservations well in advance of their meetings.

When the room closed, the library had to reshuffle by using space at the old library facility on 1112 Montgomery Highway and at the city's Civic Center.

Library Director Taneisha Tucker said the new community room is available for rent. "People have never stopped calling to ask about the room's availability," she said.

The library plans to hold a ceremony in September to officially recognize the reopening of the room.